For Masconomet principal, it's more about stewardship than leadership

Wendall Waters wwaters@wickedlocal.com @ttranscript

Wednesday

Apr 11, 2018 at 11:28 AMApr 11, 2018 at 11:28 AM

Peter Delani doesn't really like to have his photo taken. You could almost say he likes to fly under the radar. Except that he's just been named principal of Masconomet Regional High School, a job that requires the holder to be out front. But, Delani will tell you, it's less about leadership and more about stewardship.

Peter Delani doesn't really like to have his photo taken. You could almost say he likes to fly under the radar. Except that he's just been named principal of Masconomet Regional High School, a job that requires the holder to be out front. But, Delani will tell you, it's less about leadership and more about stewardship.

He has been with Masco since 1992, when he was hired as a social studies teacher. He had never heard of the school before he applied for the job. Shortly after he was hired, he says, he read an article that referred to Masco as a hidden jewel on the North Shore.

"It’s not so much a hidden jewel anymore," he says, "but it’s a jewel nonetheless."

When he arrived here, he found a great school with wonderful staff and great parents and students. And, that is still true today, he says.

"When you say ‘Masco’, it means something," Delani says. "There’s a lot there. A lot of people have poured a lot of themselves into Masco, and it shows."

Delani was assistant principal for 15 years before being named acting principal when former Principal Dr. Laurie Hodgdon resigned last spring. He says being a leader isn’t about getting people to follow you; It’s about people wanting to work with you.

Marcia Kilgallen, who is the administrative assistant to the principal, says one of the things she appreciates about Delani is that he doesn't just tell people what to do; he listens to what everyone has to say.

Delani sees Masco as a community in which everyone, including students, has a stake, and for which all share responsibility.

"We’re all stewards of Masco," he says.

Although Hodgdon’s leaving was unexpected, Delani says the transition "went very well." He says he had great support from Superintendent Kevin Lyons, other administrators and staff. He says he had outstanding resources to draw on.

"The first thing we did," he says, "was put our heads down and get to work."

It was a short sprint to the end of the school year.

"We had to find the most efficient and effective ways to get to the finish line," he says.

In announcing that Delani had been named principal, Lyons said in a statement, “Peter has distinguished himself in a number of ways over a long career at Masconomet. His most recent leadership as acting and then interim principal... afforded him the opportunity to demonstrate tremendous skills in bringing the High School through a period of unexpected transition in a manner that supported the continuity of high quality teaching and learning without interruption or unnecessary distractions."

Delani was named principal from a pool of three finalists.

"I selected Mr. Delani because of my belief that he is the right leader at the right time and that he was the most qualified among finalists to lead MRHS and Masconomet’s pursuit of a new vision for teaching and learning," Lyons said.

During his 26 years at Masco, Delani has also been a teacher, assistant principal, athletic director, and athletics coach.